


The Suspension of Disbelief

by extradimensional



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: (about turning into a vampire. Sort of), Car Accidents, Dubious Consent, King of the Vampires!Grandmaster, M/M, Not Really Character Death, Odin's C+ Parenting, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-03-21 22:58:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13750980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extradimensional/pseuds/extradimensional
Summary: “What are you?” The question came out sharper than Loki had meant as he placed his shaking hand back by his side. He deserved to know that much.“A vampire.” Thor said it with a wince, as if Loki was about to strike him.“And if I don’t believe you?”“Well, that’s your choice, little brother. I have the death certificate and fangs to prove it.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, welcome to my 'Marvel is likely to going wreck all that I love in 4 months time so I'm going to bury myself in my own vampire AU where everyone is immortal' fic.

 

To sit on the edge of a cliff and look down used to be frightening. Loki could recall such memories in only hazy details. Now, as he sat in that same place, the cold weather whipping his hair back, the idea of a fall seemed like a release.

Release from _him_ . Release from the eternity that seemed to smack Loki in the face, even when he was still mortal. But for how long? Perhaps that was the worst part. Not knowing when. Not knowing when they would strike. Not knowing when _He_ would—-

“Loki!” A hand landed swiftly on his shoulder in a brotherly gesture. Loki flinched. He still wasn’t used to that.

“Loki, why do you run off to such random places? I told you we’d be meeting tonight.”

Loki snorted. “No, Thor. You said that you would find me. There is quite a difference.” He could never out run his older brother. His dead older brother.

“Nevermind that. We have found each other anyway. I have a... friend I think you’d really kick it off with. He wants to meet you.”

Loki quietly turned to look at his brother. It was like looking at a slightly edited photograph taken from their mother’s stash of family photos. There was Thor: blue eyes somehow even bluer, blond hair short now, a grin on his face that hardly ever wiped off. Where once, he was deemed attractive by everyone who gaggled at him, now he was flawless. If he didn’t focus on the details, Loki could pretend it was the same person he had seen that night over a decade ago. Those idle thoughts never lasted long though. Thor simply couldn’t allow Loki that comfort apparently. It would only be a second or two into a moment where Loki felt like things were back to normal that Thor would do something suddenly inhuman. It was never something large, but even a single detail can break the best of illusions.

“Who is this friend? They’re not like that Valkyrie girl, are they?”

“Valkyrie was teasing you. You’re gonna have to get over that eventually.”

Loki simply just shrugged. His brother’s ‘friend’ (the two of them were so obviously fuck buddies that it made Loki want to puke on Thor’s expensive shoes) didn’t seem to like any added company. The only comment she had made to him where insults. Terrible, non witty ones, at that.

“What’s his name?”

Thor paused before speaking. That gathered Loki’s attention.

“He has a few.”

“May I know at least one, brother mine? It’s sort of rude to show up to meet someone without knowing anything about them.”

“Thegrandamasoner.”

“The what? Thor, do speak up.”

“The— _jesus fuck,_ Loki. Most people call him the Grandmaster.”

“Well, someone certainly doesn’t have an ego.”

Thor pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Loki…”

His younger brother just batted his eyes innocently. “What? You’re welcome to leave. No one is forcing you here and mom isn’t trying to convince you to drag me to some party. I have my own stuff to do, Thor.”

Swiftly and without warning, Thor grabbed Loki by the shoulder, pulling him upright like a kitten by the nape of their neck. If Loki made the same whining sound, Thor was kind enough not to comment on it.

“You’re going. You’ve been requested. You have no choice. Trust me, I wish you did.”

“Splendid.”

\----

**_12 YEARS PRIOR._ **

“Thor, would you listen to your father!”

“All I’ve been doing is listening, mother. Listening solves nothing!”

Loki hated when they fought.

He always wondered why adults thought that just because a kid was out of the room, that they couldn’t hear the conversation. That it wouldn’t screw him up anyway. Thor’s voice boomed, just like their Father’s. It was sort of an Odinson _thing_. One that Loki didn’t take part in.

He jumped as he heard something SLAM. A fist against the table maybe? It was followed by a heavy silence.

Loki wasn’t exactly sure what had caused this particular fight, but all he knew was that since Thor had started working for dad and had moved out, made some new friends, that he had been acting off. In a good way, in Loki’s opinion. More mature. Like he actually had a brain. As if Loki was actually the 13 year old and Thor was the grown up.

Just a few years before, Thor would have never said a word against their dad. Usually, it brought a smile to the younger brother’s face, but now? Now Loki was getting worried. The conversations never got this heated. They never fell into _such_ a heavy silence.

Substantial steps fell down the hall towards the front door. Loki sneaked down, tilting his head in an attempt to get a better look. Thor paused on his assent, catching his brother.

“Loki…”

“Yeah?”

Another pause.

“I love you, alright?” Thor gripped the back of Loki’s neck for a second. He nodded in return.

“You too.”

Thor smirked at that, but there was a certain sadness in his eyes that Loki couldn’t place at the time. Hindsight was 20/20. Now Loki knew what that look was for. It was the last time they’d see each other before the ‘accident’. Thor knew it would be fake. Loki sure as hell didn’t.

When he woke up the next morning to his mother’s sobbing instead of her normal kisses and loving taunts to get him out of bed, he knew something had changed for the worse.

When they were told that Thor’s body couldn’t be ‘ _repaired_ ’ enough to have an open casket and it would be better if he was cremated, Loki had managed to keep a straight face.

When they recommended that no one should view Thor’s body because it was so maimed in the car accident, that it would be too traumatic and _that’s not how you want to remember your brother—looking like that,_ that was the moment that Loki lost it. That’s when he broke down.

He had cried for three days straight. Through the funeral service. Through the day after. Frigga couldn’t get him to stop. Amora, his best friend, couldn’t even get near him without the sobbing just getting louder. The only one who managed to get through to Loki was, oddly enough, Odin.

He hadn’t said anything, just sat on the bed next to Loki in silence. He seemed to have age 30 years in merely 3 days. Eventually, Loki’s cries turned into small little gasps of breaths.

“Thor always had a plan. I just hope he thought this one through,” Odin said, as if he was describing the weather.

“You’ll see him again one day. But until then, make life interesting. Live a good one. That way you have something to show him and rub in his face later down the road.” Odin stood, placing a hand in Loki’s hair.

“Try to get some rest now. I’ll tell everyone to leave you be.”

Loki fell asleep ten minutes later, his mind so stuck on his father’s odd words that he didn’t even notice the tall blond figure standing outside his window, merely looking in.

\----

Loki did a lot of his studying in Thor’s old room. Frigga refused to clean it out, and Odin couldn’t figure out what they’d do with another extra room anyway, so he went along with it. Loki found it oddly comforting to be around his brother’s things, even though he had moved out years beforehand. Sometimes, when he got too lost in thought, Loki would find himself muttering like Thor was actually there to listen.

“The SATS are fucking terrible. I understand why you whined about studying so much.”

“Should I even bother applying to this school? I know you visited it and thought it wasn’t worth the money but their history program is so good.”

“How the fuck do I tell Dad that I like guys?”

He never got an answer, not really. Sometimes, he liked to think a little too deeply and trick himself into believing that Thor’s ghost would blow a curtain or make something fall off the desk in response to a question.

\----

It wasn’t until Loki moved after graduating and getting into a masters program that Odin’s words began ringing true. He was 25 by this time and his life really wasn’t all that interesting. He simply had the need to get out. Home was stifling and he had never really gotten used to the silence that Thor’s death had brought upon the house. Odin and Frigga had seemed to move on the best a parent could when losing a child, but Loki could only pretend. Eventually, people moved on, and to the outside world, Thor never existed at all. Family friends would avoid bringing him up out of a certain ‘kindness’, one Loki couldn’t really comprehend. Pretending something didn’t happen doesn’t mean it never did. It doesn’t fix the pain or fill the void that a loss causes, but merely makes people feel guilty for _feeling it._ But, for his parents’ sake, Loki tried to be the best child he could be. He knew he could never fill that Thor shaped hole that haunted every space in the house, or that distant look Frigga would get in her eyes sometimes when she thought no one was looking, but the least he could do was not cause them any more pain. He could try.

In return, his parents became much more over protective. Where Thor was allowed to drive himself around practically anywhere as soon as he blew the candles out on his 17th birthday, Loki could only go to school and back home, needing to call and let Frigga know he had arrived at 8:30 on the dot every day. While Thor could go out until 2 am on weekends, Loki needed to be in by 11. Luckily, for everyone involved, Loki was far from the type of person who enjoyed partying in any which way, and would much rather sit at home with a book. Though she didn’t say so, it was obvious how much of a relief this was to Frigga.

Obviously, the decision to move didn’t go over well. Not because of Frigga, surprisingly, who thought it would be good for Loki to get away and live his own life, but by Odin. Loki and his father had never been exactly close, nor had they had too much in common, but at the mention of moving and a job offer, Odin simply left the room.

Loki would have rathered he screamed some colourful words in Icelandic.

At least then he could have sat there and rolled his eyes. Or cursed back.

He hadn’t spoken to his father properly since. Work and classes kept him busy enough. Loki simply kept his head down and did what he needed. Working at a library gave him quite a bit of time to study and even more time to go through all the old books held in the building. It became his favourite activity: write a paper, help location some books, and while organizing the shelf, if he so happened to end up in a deserted section that hadn’t had a book checked out of it since 1968, then so be it. Carrying a pile of books on the subway wasn’t exactly easy, but Loki managed. Arms full, he usually managed to make it back to his tiny apartment before collapsing on the bed and digging into whatever random volumes he had discovered that day.

 

Time passes quickly when a likeable routine takes hold, but time always has a way of reminding you it’s there. Very rarely is it nice. Loki was no exception.

One morning, he was checking a novel out for an older woman, when his eyes landed on the date.

_April 14th._

Oh. _Oh._

It was as if his brain was a computer that had shut down and suddenly rebooted again.

 _Fuck_.

He sat at his desk in silence after that, all the colour fading from his face. His stomach felt like a twisted knot. He should get up. He should have a sip of water. Maybe he should ask to go home.

April 14th.

His eyes sat on that date, flashing on his computer screen.

_“Loki…”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“I love you, alright?”_

_Brakes screeching in the rain. The road being burned by tires trying desperately to stop. The sound of metal clashing. The last beat of a heart as it gives up._

13 years ago to the day, Thor had died.

And it seemed that the weight of his ghost had managed to follow Loki to his new home.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The one thing that sits true about cities, after all this time, is that you constantly feel alone. You have thousands of strangers always bouncing around you, cursing, angry, and running late. No one is ever on time in a city: it is the unspoken rule. 

So, when you have nowhere to go, and find yourself idly walking down the street, a certain sense of restlessness overcomes you. The rotting soul of a dying metropolis pulsing around you, unhappy that you have broken the status quo. Loki hardly cared. He was used to being alone. He normally preferred it. But as the sun set on the ill aging buildings, he found himself longing for attention. Every car that almost hit him (which was with scary regularity and quickly became part of everyday life in such a city) made him sad, not angry. It brought him closer to what Thor must have felt as the life ebbed out of his body. Did it hurt or did it all happen too quickly? Did Thor know he was dying? Did he think of Loki as it was happening? Had he tried to get help, only to be stuck? Did he regret fighting with Dad right before hand?

_ No _ . He couldn’t think like this. It would drive him fucking insane. He just needed to continue on with his day. He just needed to give himself a moment to grieve and be done with it.

His feet didn’t seem to agree with him, because within minutes, Loki found himself right outside a small park. It was empty, perhaps overgrown, like no one really cared to go there. A decently clear path was carved out, going well past the swing set and up towards the trees. Feeling the need to walk, to just be not in the midst of everything, Loki opened the latch on the rusted fence and began following the trail aimlessly. He certainly couldn’t go home, not yet. Not with hours to go until he could acceptly fall asleep. The cold wind felt nice on his face anyway. He hardly noticed the way the sky greyed over as the minutes passed, or that the sun was finally setting until he reached the top. The top of what, he wasn’t quite sure. A hill seem not big enough a word to describe what he was standing on, but a cliff made it sound as though a large body of water was rolling underfoot. Still, he sat on the edge, watching the last of the sun flicker away and ignoring the slight trickle of rain. Even when the sky blew up with light and boomed with lightning, Loki didn’t move. It reminded him of home. It made his chest ache. Another burst of thunder appeared, making Loki shiver, as though someone was behind him. 

“I miss you,” he whispered to the sky. 

“ _ I missed you too _ .” it boomed back.

Loki jumped so high in surprise that he almost fell off the cliff completely. And that would have been the end of that. But it wasn’t. His fingers clawed into the ground at the last moment as his heart leaped into his mouth. But his fingers couldn’t get enough purchase to exactly pull himself upwards.  _ Was the fall far? _ He couldn’t remember. It couldn’t be. He’d likely fall a few feet, right? 

Lifting his head, black hair getting stuck in the mixture of water and tears running down his cheeks, Loki saw the shadow of a tall man. Another flash of lightning, so brief, illuminated the scene: short blond hair, blue eyes, a stance that looked like he was about to kill. But then the light disappeared again. Loki closed his eyes.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving it...on a cliff hanger.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, Loki gets sucked in (with or without his consent), The Grandmaster makes his entrance, and too much Britney Spears is played.

 

“Ghosts don’t exist. You’re just losing your mind,” Loki whispered, fighting with himself if he should look down or up.

The being seemed to willingly ignore this, moving closer inch by painful inch. Suddenly, a warm large hand grabbed his own and yanked him upwards, back to the safety of the good, hard grown.

That’s when Loki finally looked down: _Okay. Yes._ Maybe that fall wasn’t enough to kill him right off the bat. But if he fell, and no one found him...mixed with the rain...but his mind was ripped away from that notion as the stranger spoke:

“Did you come here because it reminds you of the park by that old school house? Where we’d go and watch the sunset because you were too little to go bike riding and I didn’t want to leave you alone? I come here for that reason. Quite a bit.”

Loki winced. That voice. He really was losing his mind. It wasn’t the first time he had imagined Thor somehow contacting him from beyond the grave, but he never had seen him before.

“Please, _go away_ . I don’t need to hear you and see you. You’re not _real_ .” He leaned forward, nails sinking into the wet grass as he laid on his side. He pulled his knees to his chest. _This is it._ _This is where I die. And I don’t have an interesting story to tell like Dad told me to, wherever I go next._

“Loki…” the man bent down.

“Loki, it’s me. Truly.” Thor grabbed one of Loki’s hands and put it to his pulse point. A solid heart beat.

“You... _died_. I saw you.”

Thor sighed, pulling off his scarf and wrapping it around Loki’s neck.

“No. You were told I died. There’s a difference. Come on, you can’t be out in the cold like this. You’ll get sick.”

Loki wanted to fight as strong hands picked him up, pulling him from the dirty ground, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t. Not when he saw that face again. His brother.

“How?”

Thor gently shushed him, as though Loki was a kicked puppy, easily frightened.

“Later. But I’m alive. I’m not a ghost. I promise.”

“What are you then?”

“Later.”

 

Somehow, and Loki wasn’t sure how, he ended up in his own bed, sobbing for reasons he wasn’t quite sure about. Loki generally wasn’t a crier. He much rather keep his emotions pushed down until he exploded, thank you very much. But he could feel Thor’s weight next to him, the way Loki clung to his hand as if he let go, Thor would be dead again.

_Dontgodontgodontgodontgo._

Did he chant that outloud? He couldn’t recall. But somewhere in between finally grieving for the brother he may not have actually lost, Loki fell into a deep black hole of sleep. When he awoke, the space next to him was completely empty. Cold. So was the chair. It had been a dream, of course it had been. The sudden pain of that creeped into his shoulders as he went into the kitchen to make coffee. His world felt fragile before, but know it seemed made of glass. If he felt anything to hard, he’d crack. He’d die.

It wasn’t until he was eating some toast that Loki noticed something out of place. A red scarf sitting on the back of his dining room chair. His fingers gently slid over it. It was expensive, Loki could tell from the material, and finely made. Most importantly, it was not Loki’s. That was when he gaze fell on something else too. Besides the scarf, on the back of an envelope, sat a short note.

 

_I’m sorry. I got called away. Try to sleep._

_And not to get pneumonia. Again._

_-T_

 

Loki sat down, the world spinning.

Maybe he hadn’t been dreaming after all.

 ----

Loki found himself walking to work that afternoon, wrapped up warm and trying not to cough. Some tea had helped, and sleep would help even more, but he couldn’t miss work. Not when he had things to do. He refused to be one of those idiotic cliches and type in the word ‘vampire’ or ‘demon’ in a search engine, and let that be the extent of his research. So, instead, he slyly dedicated the day to ‘reorganizing’ the mythology section of the library. Most of the books were old and pointless, some simply referenced movies, but Loki quickly made his way through those. Running out of options, and perhaps ingrained into him due to their father, Loki grabbed a book on Nordic history. It was old, as dated by the fact that the _card_ within it listed the last due date was from 1959. For some odd reason, the library had not thrown it out. With a few minutes of digging, Loki landed on a chapter about the dead. Viking funerals...Hel...Valhalla... _Draugr_ :

_A Dragur is a reanimated corpse, come back to life to guard something important or gain revenge, as there is something keeping them from passing over. The direct translation of a dragur is an ‘again-walker’. Dragurs are often related to the more wide-spread term of ‘vampires’ or ‘zombies’, due to the fact that they can turn others into their kind as well._

And that was it.

Something that was dead and brought back, for some purpose. Well, wasn’t that vague at best. He looked at a few other books, encasing himself within a circle of different volumes as the hours ticked by. It seemed that, based on literature, there was only two options:

Thor was a zombie or a vampire.

Last time he checked (and he really had not be all that coherent when Thor had found him), his brother did not have rotting flesh, or had tried to eat his brain. At the same time, Thor didn’t exactly match what the definition of a vampire was either. Loki continued the search, growing more frustrated with each book, until he heard someone clear their throat in front of him. Closing the book harshly and yanking his head up, Loki was welcomed by the sight of his dead (undead? Sort of dead?) older brother.

“Hey, Loki. Nice scarf.”

Loki brought his hand to his neck, completely forgetting about the red scarf wrapped tightly around his neck.  

“You left it.” Loki said, his voice nasally.

“I’m aware." Thor leaned down and stole the book from Loki’s hands. “What are you doing, little brother?” Thor looked at the title with a smirk.

“What are you doing here, Thor? I’m working.” Loki narrowed his eyes.

“Coming to take you home since I know you’re sick.”

Loki wanted to bite him.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I survived a solid 13 years without your guidance. I’m pretty sure I can worry about my own health.”

Thor gently placed the book down, his eyes running over the titles of the others.

“We both know that’s a lie,” Thor stated, matter of factly.

“It is not a--” Loki paused, eyes glaring into his brother’s.

“Thor, it is not that I don’t wish to see you, or speak to you, because _I do_. I also want to hit you over the head. But I’m working. And seeing the ghost of your dead brother isn’t a great excuse for a sick day.”

“I’m not a ghost.”

“Zombie?”

“No.”

“Demon?”

“Nope.”

“Vampire.”

Thor hesitated, shifting his weight.

“Can we not have this discussion here, Loki?” he asked.

_Oh. Oh god, he’s a vampire. No wonder he still looks so young._

But Loki managed, he thought, to hold it together and save that break down for a different time.

“Of course, Thor. Pick a time after five and I’d be delighted to hear of your faked death.”

Thor folded his arms before grinning.

“No need. I talked to you boss and told her you’re feeling really sick. To the point where I needed to pick you up and take you home.”

“I am not---” Cough. Another cough. “--sick!” Loki hissed.

“You are. And you’re likely in shock, even if you hide it well. You can come back to my place. I have tea from London that taste like cotton candy.”

“Thor, I am not a child! You cannot bribe me with--- _cotton candy_? That’s just  flavoured sugar, how can tea be possibly taste anything like that?”

“You’re never going to find out unless you get away from your pile of likely outdated books. Will you not humour me for a while? C’mon, Loki.” Thor said.

With a grumble, Loki pushed himself off the floor. He did have a ton of questions to ask, and another cup of tea would feel nice on his throat. He also wanted to see where the hell Thor had been staying all this time. Thor smiled in response to this sight, his grin too wide for Loki’s liking. 

 

Loki went to grab his things from the back, leaving Thor to quietly stand by the front desk. Of course, in the two minutes it took for Loki to get his bag and coat, Thor had managed to charm the head librarian.

“Loki, I had no idea you had an older brother. Where have you been hiding him?” the older woman asked, eyes not too coyley looking at Thor’s arms. _Good god._ _Does Thor opening his mouth not completely negate his looks?_ Apparently not.

“Oh, Thor is like a ghost. We can never keep track of him. Sometimes I think he must be dead.” Even Thor cannot hold back a snort as Loki dragged him out of the building, Thor waving to the nice woman as they head into the street. Thor instantly started leading the way, humming to himself as Loki glowered. They finally paused in front of a car, a green bel air, to be exact, Loki almost falling directly into Thor’s back.

“You would,” Loki said.

“Would what?”

“Have this type of car.” Loki opened the door, folding himself into the passenger’s seat.

“What car did you think I would have?”

“I don’t know. A honda? Something too tiny for you, so you have to sort of bend yourself to get into and are constantly hitting your head on.”

Thor smirked, putting the car in reverse and taking off well over the speed limit.

 ----

Thor’s house (and it was a house, surprisingly enough) was just outside the city. Quaint from the outside, easily enough to forget. Loki wasn’t sure what he’d thought he’d find: an abandoned mansion, a high rise worth well over a few million, maybe something with a wolf howling behind it. Instead, it was a simple red house, sat by itself on a side road. Thor pushed open the front door, pulling off his coat and throwing it on the couch. Loki looked around: it was much more modern looking on the inside than out. The walls were mostly a dark grey, the doors automatically locked by themselves after a few seconds (which was something Loki did not really want to think of the purpose of), a large television sat pinned to the wall across from a even large sofa, one that was more than capable of holding someone Thor’s size.

It was obvious Thor wasn’t struggling.

“Sit. Make yourself at home. I’ll make some tea,” Thor said. Loki did as he was told, sinking into the remarkably comfy couch. He could so easily fall asleep right in that spot. There was a certain level of safety that seemed to come with being in his big brother’s presence, like nothing could possibly hurt him. This, in combination of lack of sleep and being sick, made it not such a surprise that Loki’s eyes shot open the moment he heard a _clink_ of tea cup on the coffee table. _I was not sleeping, I so was not sleeping._ But Thor made no comment. He simply put three cubes of sugar into Loki’s cup, one into his own, and slid a warm plate towards his brother.

“Mom’s sugar cookies?”

Thor nodded, taking a bite of one of his own.

“I made them last night. It’s one of the only recipes I actually have memorized.”

Loki stared down at the plate, fingers hesitating. _Mom_. They weren’t there just hanging out, two brothers catching up. No, _Mom_ thought Thor was dead. Loki had thought the same less than 24 hours ago.

“What are you?” The question came out sharper than Loki had meant as he placed his shaking hand back by his side. He deserved to know that much.

“A vampire.” Thor said it with a wince, as if Loki was about to strike him.

“And if I don’t believe you?”

“Well, that’s your choice, little brother. I have the death certificate and fangs to prove it.”

Loki closed his eyes, a headache panging in the front of his skull. It was the fever, most likely. The fever he didn’t want to admit he had, which was a part of the illness he refused to believe in catching. He only opened his eyes when he felt a cool hand on his forehead, Thor on a knee in front of him.

“You’re burning up.”

“And you’re acting as though you haven’t been gone for 13 years. You can’t just jump right back into my life.” Loki said, his tone lacking conviction.

“I can if would just let me. No more secrets, Loki. I’m sick of them.”

Loki imagined himself on that cliff again, the one back home. It seemed like he had two choices: he could either back away slowly from the darkness that lay below, the vast unknown of a situation bigger than him, or he could trust the call of a familiar voice possibly laying at the bottom, screaming at him to come down. Either he could pretend nothing had happened, and always feel something missing for the rest of his ears, or possibly fling himself to death by a trusting word.

Without a second thought, Loki jumped.

 ----

The car accident had happened, but Thor knew it wouldn’t kill him. That was part of the plan. He had been warned, prior to even being turned, that he’d have to fake his death sometime. It just so happened that the date and event Thor had picked correlated with a family fight between himself and Odin.

Thor wasn’t exactly thrilled to tell Loki that bit. But surprisingly, Loki seemed to take it well. Or...at least silently. He _was_ staring into space a lot, but Thor wasn’t sure if he should blame that on the fever or the confession.

It felt good to let it all out, to admit to someone from his past life what had happened, where he had been. To not hide anymore. Well, he hadn’t exactly been hiding, moreso moving...alot...in an attempt not to get caught. For a while, Thor had debated becoming a sheep herder in Scandinavia, but he was scared shitless that somehow Odin would find him on accident there.

But going into that much detail was for another time. He tucked a blanket around Loki, whose eyes were now closing and snapping open every few seconds. He deserved a nap. Thor _had_ scared the shit out him, almost pushed him off over a high edge, and gotten him sick all in one night. He honestly did not know anyone whose body could cultivate germs as quickly as Loki. It was a skill, in its own way. In a way, Thor was glad. Loki being ill, even if Thor was being a bit dramatic and overbearing about it, gave him an excuse to get close to Loki, to build that trust back up again that had been destroyed all those years ago. It wouldn’t be an overnight thing, Thor wasn’t naive enough to think that, but it could be a solid base at the least.

 

Thor sat next to Loki as his brother slept, watching two ladies trying to sell some sort of super blender on the shopping network, for a solid hour before his phone rang. His eyes instantly went over to Loki, who didn’t budge an inch. With a groan, Thor pushed himself up and walked into the kitchen, pulling out his cellphone in one go.

“Odinson,” he said, not bothering to look at the number.

“Hey blondie, wanna do a job tonight?” Valkyrie. One of the better people who actually had his phone number.

“Who is it for exactly? I’m sort of preoccupied for the evening,” Thor popped his head out, once again making sure Loki was still out.

“The Grandmaster. Seems pretty easy, if you can call off your date night or whatever you do in your spare time. I’m not your keeper.”

“Fuck no. I can’t stand that guy.”

“Yeah. Good idea. Get on the bad side of one of, if not the most, power vampires. That’s totally going to end well. You know he could snap you like a toothpick, right?”

Thor snorted in reply.

“I’d like to see him try.”

“Oh, would you? Then keep doing what you’re doing. You’re certainly on the right track.”

Thor sighed: “I have a guest, alright? It would be rude to leave him--- _them_.”

“Normally I would question what the fuck you’re even talking about, since I’m basically your only relevant friend, but I really don’t have the fucking energy or time. I’ll make some lame ass excuse up for you, but don’t get used to it.”

“Thanks Va---Valkyrie?” He stared at the receiver of the phone. Did she just hang up on him? _Again_?

“Who was that?”

Thor whipped his head up. How the fuck could Loki sneak up on him? Shaking his head and putting that aside for later, Thor put his phone down.

“Work. Wanted to know if I wanted to come tonight and do some stuff. I gracefully declined.”

Loki nodded. “If I’m keeping you…”

“No! No, you’re not keeping me at all, Loki. I’m the one that dragged you from work, remember?” Thor moved forward, placing a hand on his brother’s forehead.

“You’re still burning up. I think I have some cold medicine around here somewhere.”

Loki simply watched Thor fumble around the kitchen, face blank.

“Do vampires get colds?” he asked.

“Uh, no. Not exactly. But I’m not the best sleeper and cold medicine helps if I down half a bottle. Ah ha! And it’s not expired!” Thor pushed everything in the cabinet back in and closed it, wiggling the bottle of cold medicine in front of his brother’s nose. Loki grabbed it with a flourish.

“If I take this, you might as well go to work. I’ll be out of it within the hour.”

“Not if you take a normal dose.”

“I get high on normal doses of anything, Thor.”

Thor sighed, grabbing the bottle back and reading the directions on the label. He (carefully) poured the right dose (2 tsp, no more than 3 doses a day) into the little plastic cup and slid it over to his brother. Loki simply picked it up and stared at the dark red liquid for a second.

“What do you do for work?” he asked as he downed the whole thing like a shot, leaving him sputtering because even cheap vodka tasted better than that shit.

Thor hesitated.

“Business. I make sure products end up at the right place.”

“Illegally?”

“No---yes---sort of. I try not to ask too many questions.”

Thor waited patiently for a bad reaction, but Loki’s eyes seemed to stay completely neutral.

“That’s probably for the better. What was the job for tonight?”

Thor tapped his fingers on the countertop.

“I’m not too sure. Only that I was requested by one of the---I guess you could call him a ‘higher up’. Or the highest up, as he basically owns half the city in one way or another. Maybe the state.”

Loki hummed. “Sounds like someone who's good side you should probably stay on then.”

“I was _never_ on his good side. If I wasn’t useful to him or my distaste for his existence didn’t bring him some sort of entertainment, he’d likely have already buried me in a ditch somewhere. You know, I’ve actually heard of him _doing_ that. Ordering vampires to be buried alive. Keep in mind, it’s not like humans. Sure, it would be a slow, painful death for a mortal, but for a vampire?” Thor paced around his kitchen, spinning around and throwing his hands up.

“They wouldn’t actually die! I’m pretty sure they eventually go sort of comatose, from lack of blood or air. And then, and this is the most fucked up part, only he knows the exact locations where these people are buried. So then he sends people on a literal treasure hunt to find these makeshift graves.  Who ever wins gets a prize, whoever loses gets murdered, and the people in the middle get to live.”

“Well,” Loki stated, his hands tucked under his chin. “You have to stay on top somehow, I suppose. More of a reason for you to go tonight.”

Thor stopped his trek.

“No. End of story. I’m not going.”

He moved back over to his brother, gently pulling him up by the elbow. “And you’re going to sleep in an actual bed and not the couch. When you wake up, we’ll eat chicken soup and not worry about psychopathic vampire masters.”

Loki just let himself be dragged and tucked into an extremely soft bed.

“Whatever you say, Thor.”

\----

Loki ended up sleeping much later than Thor thought possible. Every hour or so, Thor would pop into the bedroom, just to see the rise and fall of his little brother’s chest, just to make sure he wa still breathing. Humans were so _fragile_. Not to mention Loki had ended up in the hospital at least a handful of times between broken bones and lung infections. He needed to be watchful. A cold could turn into something worse, if he didn’t.

The house was quiet until around 1 am, where there was a 5 second pounding on his door before Thor heard the lock _click_.

“Thor! You asshole.”

Valkyrie. Did she never learn how to use a _fucking inside voice_.

He rushed out into the front hall.

“Shh! Shut up! You’re going to wake him.”

“Who the fuck is sleeping?”

“My---” he bit his tongue. She’d find out. She’d find out quicker than anyway and Thor wouldn’t be able to stop her. If he told her, at least then he could explain.

“My little brother. He’s sick.”

“Wait. Back up. You have a _human_. In your _house_. _Sleeping_.”

“Yes. Basically. Except he’s my human, so no one is going to touch him.”

Valkyrie threw her hands up. “I can’t with you. You’re such an idiot. I feel like I am talking to a child. Is this the reason that you skipped out on the job tonight? To babysit your brother who, I’m assuming, thought you were dead. I came over to _warn you_ about the shit storm you brought on yourself by the Grandmaster tonight, but this...damn, this is something special. You literally just offered up your own punishment. You know that, right? Because he’s going to find out, if he doesn’t know already. He was already asking 20 fucking questions about why you weren’t there.”

“He’ll deal. It’ll blow over.”

Valkyrie folded her arms, giving Thor a stare only reserved for the stupidest of notions. Alright, it probably wouldn’t blow over. He’d likely have to go to the Grandmaster’s...home, if you could even call it that, and beg for forgiveness in the least deprecated way possible.  If only for Loki’s sake. He didn’t need to find his brother completely drained dried and eyes frozen over as punishment for taking a day off.

That’s when he heard it: the slight change in heart rate, the sound of floor creaking as someone peaked over a door.

“I’ll fix it. Tomorrow. I promise. I...appreciate the warning.”

“You’re welcome. Now, aren’t you going to introduce us?” Valkyrie smiled, though it looked more like a cat ready to bite you than a friendly grin.

“Loki,” he stated, as though he brother was standing right there with them. Thor knew the asshole could hear.

“This is Valkyrie.”

For a moment, there was no noise, no respond or movement on anyone’s part. Then, the floor squeaked again and Loki appeared, hair messed up from sleep, eyes slightly closed. He still looked like shit.

“Hello. Forgive my appearance. I’m sort of under the weather.”

Valkyrie took Loki in, eyes casting over his silently. Judging. Attempting to put together pieces of a puzzle that the Odinsons barley brought up.

“You two have different dads or something?”

Loki and Thor stared at each other for a moment, as though they could communicate through eye contact alone. Valkyrie wasn’t even sure if they realized what they were doing. Loki was the one to answer with a cool shrug of the shoulders:

“Sure. Close enough.”

It wasn’t exactly a secret that Loki was adopted. It certainly explained the large age gap between the two, Frigga and Odin had tried for another child for years before giving up (though Frigga refused to call it that, as she had pointed out nearly a billion times that it sounded as though Loki was a consolation prize instead of a much wanted child) and adopting. Really, it wasn’t a topic all that breached. It was there, it was known within the family, but not really stated to outsiders. Loki had always blamed it on the eyes. Somehow, him and Thor shared the same blue colour almost exactly, as did Odin. It was enough similarity for most people.

Loki cleared his throat.

“And you are a vampire as well, I’m guessing?”

“You would be guessing right, scene queen,” Valkyrie said with a tip of her head.

“Fantastic. I’m going back to bed, please don’t kill me in my sleep.” Loki threw one last look at Thor before disappearing again.

“He looks like he should be the lead singer of an emo band, you know that right? Don’t most people grow out of the phase by like 18?”

Thor groaned, covering his face. He did not feel like dealing with this right now.

“Will you _please_ shut up if I get you a drink?”  

She smirked.

“Yeah. But just as long as it takes me to drink it.”

\----

With Loki safe at work and seemingly on the mend (and the promise that he ‘could actually take care of himself, Thor. I am not a child. Thank you very much’) Thor made his way to what he was told was the Grandmaster’s current residence. Or at least, where he had lately been conducting his ‘business’. It was a decent drive, something Thor was quietly thankful for, as it gave him time to clear his mind. He was happy. _He was_. He had been trying to figure out how to get in contact with Loki for years, had been quietly keeping an eye on him and making sure his death didn’t cause any major life fuck ups for his little brother. But truthfully, Thor hadn’t thought much farther than just telling him the truth. Part of him thought Loki would run away and never speak to him again, which was his right. Another part, a bigger one, if he was being honest, knew that Loki never really strayed from a challenge and tended to lean towards things that went against the status quo. But what happened now? Thor could turn him. Keep Loki immortal and safe, not have to worry about him dying and leaving, as selfish as that was. Loki would fit into the lifestyle better than Thor ever had, most likely. It was definitely more Loki’s aesthetic than it was Thor’s, but he had become more accustomed to it over the years.

He’d ask him. Thor wouldn’t just do it. No matter how badly he wanted to. If Loki said no, that he’d rather be human, than Thor would just have to deal with it. He’d wait a few weeks before asking, get Loki used to the idea of Thor being more than just a memory, maybe introduce him to a few friends that Thor deemed safe. Rogers wouldn’t be a threat and would likely get along with Loki, or at least attempt to. It wasn’t the _best plan_ , but it was the start of one.

His train of thought was caught off once his GPS announced that he was at his destination in an all too chipper voice. It took him a couple of minutes to find parking, but, all too soon, he was staring up at a gleaming building seemingly made of glass. Thor could imagine that when the sun was at its highest peak that the building must become one big prism.

He pulled his sunglasses onto his forehead as he entered. Everything seemed very modern, very _sleek_ , with shots of colour here and there. The Grandmaster couldn’t keep everything classy. He approached the front desk, stated his business, and was quickly in an elevator that was blasting Britney Spears. The doors eventually opened up to one completely open floor, a desk in the middle made entirely of glass, the inside lit up with colored lights. Leaning against it, seemingly reading something off his phone, was the Grandmaster itself. Once the doors closed themselves again with a _ding_ (the sounds of Oops I did it again getting more and more muffled in the distance), he looked up.

“Thor! My main man! What a surprise, what a surprise. C’mon in. Take a seat. You wanna drink? I just got some virgin blood delivered. Honestly, you can’t taste the difference, but I guess it’s all about the concept, huh?”

The Grandmaster moved away towards his own little bar, pour himself a glass of something red, the fresh smell of iron hitting Thor’s nose instantly.

“Where were you last night, bud? We missed you.”

Thor sat, choosing not to speak until a cold glass was pushed into his hand.

“I’m sorry for not attending. I had some personal things going on that I had to handle at the last minute.”

“Sure, sure. Life happens. I get it. I’m not a difficult man, Thor. You know that. But business is important. It’s what keeps us on the _top_ of the food chain. I need you to _respect that_ and pull your weight. I can’t have _dead weight_ on my crew, Thor. I’m worried that’s what you’re becoming.”

“No. No. I’m not. Really. Like I said: personal things came up. So fast. And there are somethings you just can’t say no too.”

The Grandmaster nodded, perching himself like a bird on the side of his desk again. Of course he had to position himself higher than Thor. Like he was looming over him.

“Yeah, I get it. I do, bud. I do. Like friends, or civic duties, or _family._ ”

Thor froze.

“Brothers bring a lot of trouble with them. Oh, boy. Me and my brother--the things we’ve done. Then again, my brother is undead. Tends to make things less complicated. Yours though---he’s a pretty one, isn’t he? Pretty _and_ alive.”

**_Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck._ **

“Grandmaster, I---”

He threw a palm up.

“Shh, shh, shh, Thor. I know. I know how terribly sorry you are for lying to me. For ignoring your new family for your old. I can see it in your eyes, like a sad little puppy dog. I’ll tell you what. You can make it up to me, hmm? _Really simple_. I’m having a party tomorrow night. A ball of sorts. Very David Bowie, very Labyrinth-esq. With masks and all that jazz, it’ll be great. And I want you and your adorable brother to attend. The whole thing won’t even end in a murder or a sacrifice. I mean, I don’t wanna scare the little human off. What a rude host I would be. How does that sound?”

“I’m not---”

“It’s a hypothetical question, Thor. Rhetorical. You’re coming. It’s gonna be a _blast_. Trust me, alright? Now, I have planning to do. I’ll have my people call your people.”

Thor stood, placing the glass down without even taking a sip. He nodded, a thousand thoughts going through his head at once as he made his way back into the elevator ( _‘_ _My loneliness is killing me andddd I must confess I still believe--still believe’_ ), out of the building and back in his car.

 

He wasn’t sure if that went better or worse than he had hoped for.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can't tell me that The Grandmaster wouldn't love David Bowie. You can't.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loki meets the Grandmaster and is extremely confused. Thor debates internally if he wants to commit murder or not.

“You’re going. You’ve been requested. You have no choice. Trust me, I wish you did.”

 

This wasn't what Thor had planned on doing on his Saturday night. He meant the words he said to Loki, in as casual a way as possible. There was a worry that Thor would scare him off, which would be a disaster for everyone involved. Somehow the Grandmaster had found out about him, and Thor highly doubted that it was just passing information. Random facts. Who knew what that crazy bastard could dig up when he wanted to. 

 

Thor looked his brother up and down, inspecting him with a sharp eye. 

 

"Do you have a nice suit or something?" Thor asked. 

 

Loki's eye roll made him snort, and almost allowed some of the tension to bleed out of Thor's shoulders. Almost. 

 

"Of course, I do. I have quite a few. Why? Is this 'Grandmaster' having more than a casual get together?"

 

"You could certainly say that. We can just stop by your place. I have my car. We can leave from there." 

 

Loki hesitated for a moment. A part of him (albeit a small part) felt a sliver of danger at telling Thor where exactly he lived. A larger part was more concerned with remembering if he had left a mess in his apartment that morning. He was in quite a rush, running late for work after sleeping at Thor's the whole night. Then again, why should he care about impressing Thor? His apartment wasn't terrible, but it was far from 'impressive'. It was only after this whole mess of thoughts that Loki realized Thor had already  _ been _ to his apartment. Back when Loki almost---- fell. It was already done, even if Loki had wished otherwise.

 

"I walked from work. But...I suppose a ride would be nice." 

 

Thor nodded and began making the trek back to the gate at the park. Loki followed behind. He had no idea what this night would hold, but he hoped it would at least be entertaining. 

 

 

\----

 

When they pulled up to Loki's apartment building, Thor picked up his bag which held his own suit, which Loki side-eyed as they made their way up 6 flights of stairs. 

 

"You brought your outfit with you? Is it still the suit Mom made you get for prom, or have you actually invested in nice clothing since then?" 

 

Thor huffed.

 

"I have other suits. Nice suits. But that one still might be my favorite. Shut up." 

 

Loki snickered as he opened the front door and walked straight into his bedroom. Thor took a moment to look around. It was a standard city apartment: tiny for the cost, but somehow lacking any rats or weird smells that came with most units. Thor personally hated living in an apartment building. There was hardly any privacy, but then again, Loki didn't have the flexibility Thor had involving location. Yet. 

 

With that, Thor walked down the hallway and made a guess at which door led to the bathroom. The location of the party was far from the city, as the master often did when it came to get togethers. He needed to change and get them on the road as soon as possible and last time he was here, trying to find the bathroom was the last of his worries. 

By the time Thor had finished getting dressed, Loki was still in his bedroom, fussing with his hair. Thor looked him over. His brother wore a black suit with a black jacket, the only thing breaking up the darkness being a white undershirt and a black scarf tucked around the edges, lined with what almost looked like crystals. Only  _ Loki _ would be able to pull something off like that, if he were being completely honest. Most people couldn't even pull off a full suit, never mind adding  _ sparkles _ or a scarf or something akin to that. Thor himself was wearing something a bit more plain, but easily just as tailored and well fitting. 

 

"You look nice," Thor said, trying to make his presence known. He now had this fear of scaring Loki off at any second of the day, which he wanted to prevent if possible. His brother was not a cat. 

 

"Thank you. You as well. I'm actually pleasantly surprised. You somehow gained style," Loki smirked, pulling his hair back as neatly as he could. 

After grabbing some snacks (it was going to be a long road trip and humans needed to eat more than vampires, Loki had pointed out. Not that Thor was complaining about road trip food and jamming to the radio) and convincing Loki that his hair looked fine, they were on the road. The sun had set about an hour and a half prior, and by the time they were far away from the city, the stars were completely out. Loki spent the majority of the ride looking up at the sky. 

“No one is going to try to eat me, right?” he asked Thor, eyes still turned upwards. 

“ _ No _ , Loki. I won’t let anyone _ eat you _ .” Thor stated with  bite, not as much sarcasm laced within either of their words as he had hoped.  

Eventually, they arrived at an old Victorian building, sitting in the middle of nowhere. It's height seemed to almost hit the stars, only adding to how  daunting and beautiful it was in its own right. So, this was the Grandmaster's theme for the night. Thor wasn't all that surprised, given that the man seemingly could never host the same party twice. Maybe that's what happened when you were an immortal being. Thor wouldn't know, as he hadn't outlived the average human lifespan yet, but he could see why someone would want to keep life--- _ exciting _ . Sure. Let's go with that. 

 

Loki seemed almost blown away by the eeriness of the whole area. Thor couldn't really blame him, even if his own excitement was completely tarnished. He wasn't about to go wrecking Loki's evening, even though the person who would do just that was right behind a set of doors. 

 

Without any prompting, Loki picked up the green and gold mask that he had slid into his bag, golden horns sticking from the front of it, and slide it over his eyes. Without a word, he pulled out another and passed it to Thor. It was equally as intricate, albeit more simple in taste. It was a simple gold colour, feathers carved out around the whole of the piece until what could only be described as wings shot out from the corner of the eyes and up towards the forehead.  Thor took it with a sigh, tying the blood red ribbon around the back of his head to keep in place. He didn't bother asking Loki where the hell he managed to get these from, or why he seemingly had a collection of beautifully made masks lying around his apartment. At the same time, Thor wasn't exactly surprised. His little brother  _ would _ . And Thor was, for once, grateful for that fact. Loki had always been crafty in his own right but Thor had seemingly missed the bit where his little brother got  _ good _ at it. 

 

Maybe the evening wouldn't be a massive failure after all. Maybe. 

 

 

They walked into the party---ball--thing a few minutes later. The main room was dark, lit only by candle light, and Loki couldn't stop looking around. It seemed as though the house had never actually upgraded to having electricity, the gas lamps which helped illuminate were as far as they had gotten with technology. It really was as though he stepped back in time. Everyone in the crowd of people were dressed beautifully, impeccably even. There was dancing, and drinks were being passed around by well dressed servants who seemed to move as though they were from a different time. Loki could not keep his eyes on a single spot. 

 

He attempted to ignore the red drink that seemingly everyone was sipping on and decided to stick with champagne. 

Thor apparently  had been lost in the crowd. Not that Loki minded, in all honesty. Thor was worried, and Loki appreciated it, but at the same time, he doubted there was much Thor could do to protect him from all these vampires if they decided to attack. That is, if that was a thing vampires even did. He was only going off what he had seen in that vampire movie with Tom Cruiz, after all. Besides, if he was going to die this night, he'd rather enjoy it before meeting his doom. There were certainly worse ways to die, in his opinion. 

 

Fifteen or so minutes had passed since they had arrived and Loki stood in the corner, another bubbly drink in hand, as he watched multiple couples move across the ballroom floor in a flourish. For all the fear Loki had before they had arrived, no one had even really looked at him, never mind attempted to eat him. Which, in the grand scheme of things, was likely a positive. 

 

He was more than happy to continue in this theme of quiet on-looking until he saw a man appear at the top of the staircase. Loki couldn't exactly see his face, as it was hidden behind a mask, obviously (who's wasn't?). Albeit, a very lovely mask, with its black and gold devil horns, shaping up to be almost a crown on his brow bone. Obviously, this person (who felt important enough to have a grand entrance) was trying to allude to being satan. King of the damned, so to speak. _How_ _original_. It took only a moment more for Loki to realize that this must be Thor's special 'friend.' 

It took maybe five seconds after that for said frenemy to make his way directly down the stairs and very close to Loki. 

And then he  _ bowed _ . 

_ To Loki. _

“You must be Thor’s little human brother.”

“And you must be the one who threatens him all the time,” Loki said.

“Ah,  _ threatened _ . I don’t like that term all that much. It makes it sound like whatever I’m planning is bad. When really, all I was planning on doing is asking you to dance.” 

The Grandmaster took Loki’s hand and kissed the knuckles. Loki was in too much shock to pull away. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to anyway. 

“I’ve never really danced in this fashion before,” Loki admitted, as he thought it was better to be honest now than to embarrass himself a few minutes later. The Grandmaster almost seemed entertained by this notion.  _ The human was embarrassed. How cute. _

“It’s the type of dance that you  _ feel _ . Sort of like twerking. Except not. Just follow along.”

Suddenly, and without really knowing why, Loki allowed himself to be pulled onto the dance floor and led around. He felt as though he was floating more so than dancing. His fear of stepping on toes quickly diminished and was replaced with an odd feeling of almost being out of body.  Finally, half way through the second song, Loki found his voice:

“Are you doing this just to piss off my brother?”

The Grandmaster smiled, as though Loki had made a joke.  “Ha. No. Your brother is the farthest thing from my mind.”

“You’ll forgive me if I find that hard to believe. Considering what I’ve been told by proxy.” 

“Haven't you ever played that game little mortals play? Telephone? I could actually be a saint and you just heard wrong.”

“Says the man wearing devil horns.” 

The Grandmaster didn't even pause his swift movements as he grinned. 

“Satan can be s-w-e-e-t sweet. You just gotta give him a chance. How bout it?”

Loki hesitated. 

“I’m not exactly sure what you're  asking.”

“To see you again. To take you out around the town. Do you like ballets?”

“Do  _ you _ ?” 

“I like pretty things. Like you.” 

Loki snorted. No matter the setting, nor the fact that he was slow dancing to Strauss, he just couldn’t take a cheesy ass pickup line from someone who looks around Odin’s age (no matter how good that  _ someone _ may look). 

“Do you say this to everyone you want to suck dry? Aren’t you the King? Couldn’t you just hypnotize me into doing your bidding or something?” 

The Grandmaster clucked his tongue: “Now where is any of the fun in that?”

Just like that, Loki suddenly found himself being  _ dipped. _ Sparklingly brown eyes (almost black, now that he’s up close) crinkle back at him. 

“I really want to kiss you right now,” the Grandmaster said. (His tone was even...breathy? Can vampires get out of breath?) 

Loki paused, all his weight being held up by the Grandmaster as the music and the party continued around them. 

“Now, where’s the fun in  _ that _ ?” Loki asked, pushing his head up slightly. Then, for a reason that he can’t comprehend (heat of the moment? Too much alcohol? The adernalien that comes with the onslaught of death?) Loki kissed him. He _ kissed him _ . It was brief, only the softest of pecks, over before it even began. The smile that crossed the Grandmaster’s face was akin to something Loki would think a lottery winner would be wearing upon finding out they won five billion dollars. 

One more dance, one more moment of feeling like he was flying, and the Grandmaster gently tucked Loki into a corner as someone, a man in a completely black mask, security maybe, whispered in his ear. 

“It’s been a ridiculous pleasure, Loki. I doubt it will be the last.” He kissed Loki’s hand once again.

“Thank you, Grandmaster.” 

“--En. You can...call me _ En _ . Grandmaster is a title. Not totally sure when it became my actual name but...you can call me En.” 

Loki nodded. “Thank you, En.” It felt strange in his mouth. He felt like he was saying ‘in’ in French rather than someone’s actual name, but before he could even move his mouth fast enough to make another comment, or use his name again, the Grandmaster was gone. 

Loki found Thor just a few minutes later in an adjacent dining hall. Oddly enough, it was empty apart from Thor, some tall buff blond guy (Loki wondered who would win in a fight) who looked like his grandmother had dressed him, and another man who seemed to have more...swagger about him. In fact, he looked more like a rebel. His hair was a bit ruffled, his leather jacket sitting over his dress shirt, and a peak of something reflective, like a slight glint of metal from under his sleeve. His hands were covered in gloves. 

Thor instantly halted their conversation, whatever it may have been about, as soon as Loki found his way to the otherside of the table.

“Loki! I couldn’t find you this whole time. This is Steve Rogers and James Barnes. Friends of mine. Guys, this is Loki. My little brother.” 

Loki shook both their hands, noticing how strong Barnes was with no comment. He smiled, attempting to ease himself into the situation.

“Bucky. _ Please _ don’t call me James. Steve doesn’t even do that when he’s pissed.” 

“Fair enough---- How did you two get out of wearing masks?” 

Almost on cue, as though they were in a shitty prime time comedy show, both men lifted up the masks that they were seemingly carrying on them. Both masks looked like something you’d get in the clearance section at a party store.

“No one breaks the Grandmaster’s party policies. He likes to pretend it’s still the 1700’s, I think.” 

“I rather like it. It’s classier than any of the parties I’ve been to in my life.” 

“You’re new,” Steve said. “You'll either get sick of it or become one of the Elders’ pets, if you’re really into it.”

Loki could almost feel Thor’s eyes beaming through his skull. There was a lot to unpack mentally about this whole evening,, Loki figured. Thor was one of those things.

\----

The ball finished without anything insane happening. The Grandmaster--- _ En _ never reappeared. Thor and Loki took their leave once it seemed socially acceptable to do so, which was about an hour and a half later. 

Loki fell asleep on the ride home, dreaming about Victorian parties, dandies, and songs that were in ¾ time. 

Things were pretty normal after that. Loki ended up sleeping over at Thor’s once again, since it was closer and Loki had actually packed clothes this time. He even made it to work on time the next day, having a moment to spare to pick up a coffee and a croissant. In fact, he was so distracted by his coffee that he walked straight past the front desk. Which, on a normal day, would have been fine. Except, as the old lady who worked the morning shifts pointed out to him, there was a large bouquet of flowers, full of gardenias and forget-me-nots, with his name on them.

Loki took a deep breath of their scent before shaky fingers found the card.

“ _ The time to hesitate is through _

_ No time to wallow in the mire _

_ Try now we can only lose _

_ And our love become a funeral pyre” _

 

“Oh! Did your secret admirer quote the Doors? Oh boy, they’re a keeper.”  The woman (rudely) reading over his shoulder stated with a wink. Linda was lucky Loki liked her. 

Loki also wanted to thank her for saving him a google search. 

He may or may not have looped that song the whole work day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be updating this every Tuesday (fingers crossed). This week got a little thrown off due to my beta being busy and work and life and blah blah blah.
> 
> Also (for anyone interested):  
> Thor's mask: https://goo.gl/52khBD  
> GM's: https://goo.gl/5kR8BY


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short, but I wanted to get something up for you guys as I didn't post last week. 
> 
> This chapter is also basically set up and brotherly bonding.

Whether Loki should dump the flowers in a trashcan before heading home was still a decision he couldn't make by the time the end of the day rolled around. Part of him wanted to keep them, since any love tokens he had received in life were few and far in between (if any, really). At the same time,  he knew he shouldn't allow the idea of someone liking him best who that someone _was_ : a killer, likely a terrible person, if what the sparse things Thor had told Loki were true. And then there was the fear that someone would spot Loki throwing them out and report it to the Grandmaster, who would somehow punish Thor for the rude transgression. Loki didn't _hate_ the Grandmaster, but he didn't really have any reason to _like_ him either. If anything, he had more reason to fear him. Loki also had to wonder where all this would end. Would the Grandmaster (who he refused to call En because that seemed oddly way too personal) simply grow tired of him? Was he just doing this all to piss off Thor? Or were the flowers a one time calling card and nothing more? A simple 'thanks for the dance, maybe I won't kill you' gift?

 

He didn't know. He figured he wouldn't either. Nothing frustrated Loki more than not knowing something.

 

Still carrying the flowers, Loki made his way home again. He just needed a quiet night to himself, like he had had for the last 6 years or so before this past week. He'd throw the flowers out in his kitchen bin, making sure the curtains were drawn shut. Perfect plan. The world seemed to agree with him for the time being, as Loki made it up to his apartment with only the old lady who lived next to him's cat meowing in greeting as it roamed the hallway. It was the sign of a decent evening.

 

Loki put the flowers on the counter (but not in a vase, that seemed like a solid in between. They'd die at the same rate there than in the garbage) and pulled off his coat. Wine. He needed some wine. Wine and netflix.

 

He threw his phone on the couch, heated up some leftovers, and cuddled up to some documentary about castles, happy enough to let the hours idle by as they pleased. He deserved this.

 

Loki hardly even jumped when his phone rang.

 

Hesitantly, his fingers reached for it, eyes clamping shut in fear of what name (or strange number) would pop up on the screen. When he saw it said 'Mom' with a heart next to it, a swell of relief hit his chest. Which, of course, was followed by a massive amount of guilt as soon as he heard her voice.

 

_Thor._

 

_Oh god. She thought Thor was dead._

 

"...Loki? Are you going to say hello or just breathe into the phone heavily?"

 

"Hi, Mom. Sorry, I---long day. I was half asleep. How are you?"

 

He could almost hear the smile in Frigga's voice, not to mention the tinge of worry too.

 

She always worried.

 

"I'm good. Missing my son, so I figured a phone call was needed as _someone_ hasn't even so much as texted me in over a week."

 

"Sorry! Really, I'm sorry. Work. School. Writing. Reading. It's---a lot right now. Life is a lot right now. I'm sort of feeling home sick, to be honest. For you and Dad," _And Thor. Us as a whole unit, really. But I’m not going to even go down that road right now._

 

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. You'll have a break soon enough and can come back and let me fuss all over you, right? We can always video chat too. You know that."

 

Loki nodded as though Frigga could see him.

 

"I know. I've been sick too." Really, that was the first excuse he should have went with. He cut her off before the babying could even begin:

 

"---I'm fine now. Got better pretty quickly, actually. I think if you see me in real time at the moment,  you'll give me a lecture, so maybe we should hold off another day or two."

 

“Not seeing you doesn't make me not worry, you know.”

 

Loki sighed. Then he smiled. A fake smile, but maybe if he posed his muscles in the right way, it would make his voice sound happier.

 

“Don't worry, Mom. I'm doing great. Just last night I went to a party with some friends. I danced the night away. It was fun.”

 

There was a pause.

 

“You? At a party? Oh, well now I _know_ something is wrong. Do you need me to come down there for a visit? I'm sure your father can handle him---"

 

“Mom, really. It wasn't that type of party. It was a lot of scholarly types. I got to waltz and apparently wasn't terrible at it.”

 

“That _would be_ the type of dance you could pull off. I’ve always said you were born in the wrong time.”

 

Loki laughed, but it didn’t match the expression on his face: one of blank contempt at words he used to find a compliment in. Luckily his mother could only hear him. Loki always was a good actor.

 

\----

 

He heard nothing from Thor for a full three days. Not a text, not a call, not a creepy, oddly well placed note. Not a single word. Nor did he hear anything from the Grandmaster, which left Loki feeling both painfully relieved and equally disappointed.

 

And so he worked, studied, and wrote.

 

It was peaceful, for the first day, but it quickly became rather dull. He kept finding his mind in a loop of thoughts: wondering where Thor was, wondering what the Grandmaster was doing, worrying in detailed images that this whole situation had finally caught up to Thor and his torso was in a ditch somewhere, his head gone clean from his neck and a stake through his heart. Loki found himself playing the whole thing out like a movie, scene by scene, even creating the dialogue of how the whole situation would go down. It would make a good novel, he thought bitterly to himself. That is, as long as it didn’t come true in real life.

 

The second night, he called Thor’s house. The phone rang, each passing sound making Loki grow a little colder. Thor, for the most part, was always a homebody. Sure, he liked going out more than Loki did, but neither Odison enjoyed anything better than being in the comfort of their own home, in sweatpants, and (in Thor’s case) playing video games, or (in Loki’s case) reading.

 

When there was eventually no answer, and Loki was prompted to ‘leave a message after the beep’ by a cold robotic voice, he let his mouth run, unsure of what he even stated once he hanged up the phone. Something along the lines of “Hey, it’s Loki. Bye.”

 

Loki threw the phone onto the couch as if it was a bomb. As if the next call would cause it to explode and destroy everything in a two mile radius. He ended up distracting himself by watching a documentary on the scary shit that lives at the bottom of the ocean, the light of his laptop reflecting onto his face from his coffee table where it sat untouched.

 

An unsound sleep finally found him two hours and three minutes into the film.

 

\----

Thor felt sore. Not the good kind of sore you feel the morning after a hard workout, but the type you feel when you over exerted yourself because you had no choice, and it didn’t occur to you until it was too late. Jobs normally weren’t difficult for him anymore. Then again, Valkyrie was dead asleep on his couch at the moment, so maybe this wasn’t just about his own strengths, maybe this was more about what they had been up to. At least the money was well worth it.

He pulled himself out of bed with a groan, not bothering to put a shirt on, before slowly dragging himself into the kitchen. The red light on his answering machine was too bright for him not to notice in his overly dark kitchen. His first instinct was to ignore it, but then again, not many people knew his landline. He pressed play with a hand covering his eyes.

 

“ _Hey Thor, It’s me. I just wanted to make sure you’re not dead. For real this time. Totally dead, I mean. Call me? Bye._ ”

 

Thor paused, pulling his hand away to look at the machine. Fuck. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ _Loki._ He hadn’t even thought of texting Loki this whole time, he was too enthralled in his own damn drama. He was suddenly hit with various memories of his little brother moping when being ignored. The time Loki started crying because Thor hadn’t talked to him until dinner time and Loki thought he was mad at him. The other time when Thor was babysitting him and after putting Loki to bed, Thor went outside to smoke but Loki couldn’t find him and was convinced Thor had left him, which resulted in Loki hiding under the bed and Thor panicking because _holy fuck where did his 6 year old brother go, mom was gonna KILL HIM._

 

He had grown out of that, right? Twenty or so years later?

 

Thor looked at the clock before grabbing his cellphone. It was too late (or too early, depending on how you thought about it) to call Loki up. A text would do just fine.

 

[Thor: 3:21 am] _Hey, I just got your message. Sorry, I was on an impromptu work assignment. I’m sorry for not telling you. That was really shitty of me._

 

Thor really did not expect a text back whatsoever, so much so that he was just as surprised as Valkyrie when his ringtone went off (“Holy fuck, Thor. Turn that shit off! Have you never heard of vibrate?”). Vampiric hearing had its drawbacks.

 

[Loki: 3:24 am] _It’s fine. Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going insane and this whole thing wasn’t actually just a delusion of mine. I talked to Mom the other day, which didn’t help._

 

Alright, well now Thor felt like a complete asshole. 

 

His fingers hesitated over the keys for a moment, unable to put into words what exactly had been building up in his heart for years. Instead he settled, regretting it but knowing that that was the way it had to be, for now.

 

[Thor: 3:27 am] _How is she?_

 

He hit enter and bit his lip until blood welled into his mouth, making his way back into his bed. Even asking that much was opening the gates to messy conversations, one Thor would have no control over.

 

[Loki: 3:27 am] _Good. Her book club is reading Pride and Prejudice. We mostly talked about that._

 

[Thor: 3:28 am] _I’ve never read it._

 

[Loki: 3:28 am] _Oh. Oh no. That’s not acceptable. I’m not even going to ask what the last book you read was._

 

Thor smiled. Innocent. This conversation was completely innocent, even though each brother was aware that they were glazing over the tricky parts, the parts that hurt, the parts that they both needed to talk about. Thor fell asleep, trying to think of a response. There was always tomorrow. And the tomorrow after that one. Hopefully, if Thor had his way, their would be an endless supply of them.

 

\----

Thor’s door rang at 6 pm the next night, a casual looking Loki holding out a pink and green book in greeting. Thor took it by habit.

 

“You need to be cultured,” was Loki’s only response as he let himself in, Thor’s eyes darting over the cover. _Pride and Prejudice_. He had so set himself up for this one, hadn’t he?

 

“Thank you?” he finally responded, closing the front door and pushing the lock in.

 

“How was work? Did you see the Grandmaster?” Loki asked, looking at his nails.

 

Thor gently placed the book on the side table. He’d read it later. Really, he would.

 

“I spoke to him on a call for maybe five minutes. I was working to get information from another guy.”

 

“Oh. Who?”

 

“His name is Laufey. He’s really old school European. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s where the idea of Dracula came from. Or if he lived in a castle somewhere. Tracking him for two days was interesting to say the least,” Thor said, moving to sit down on the couch with a groan.

 

“What did the Grandmaster want with him?” Loki asked, trying to make it sound like he was actually interested in this story and not snooping for information on the weird vampire elder who had gave him flowers and gotten him hooked on the Doors.

 

“Laufey is sort of a big deal, apparently? I’m too young to know the whole story, but I think he’s almost an equal to the Grandmaster. Vampires get really pissy when other people get on their trufs. Especially when there’s money involved.”

 

“Ah, I see.” He didn’t.

 

“Do you? Because I wish I did.”

 

Loki snorted, letting himself sink into Thor’s squishy couch as well. A silence fell, both brothers deep in thought.

 

“Would you ever consider turning me?”

 

Thor nearly bolted up at the question.

 

“I---how--- _yes_ . I mean, if you _wanted_ to. But...can I ask why?” Thor sputtered out.

 

Loki smirked. “It seems interesting. In a way that growing old and dying doesn’t.”

 

Thor nodded. “I’ve been wanting to ask you, but I was afraid of your answer. It won’t be for a while. I want you to really think on it, because there’s no going back, and it’s a whole different world you’re going to get sucked into. Not that I’m trying to talk you out of it. I’m not. I just want this to be your decision and your decision alone. No pressure from me.”

 

Loki sighed. He had expected that answer, was even hoping for it. Dying tonight wouldn’t exactly been convient and there were still things he wanted to discover before he took that plunge. But, then again, it never hurt to place an idea in Thor’s mind, get him used to it in order to avoid the whole ‘herotic’ backlash of guilt Thor usually felt about things like that.

 

“Honestly, Thor, I don’t think I fit into this world all that great anyway. I’d welcome a chance in another one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laufey. Doing Laufey things. As Laufey does.


	6. Chapter 6

The room was completely white. So white, that it hurt his eyes to even look upon it properly. It was blinding. Worse so, as he was spinning in a circle, an arm tucked along his waist supporting him to stay upright, when all Loki wanted to do was to fall. He tried to close his eyes, but that just made him even more dizzy.

“Are you not having a good time?” a voice asked, whispering the question into his ear, the grip on Loki tightening. Loki whipped his head around, attempting to see who the voice belonged to, but it seemed he didn’t have the strength. He was only a pretty doll, being spun around. Besides, he knew who that voice belonged to already.

“I’m feeling very lightheaded,” Loki admitted, not even attempting to get away. He knew he wouldn’t be able to. He just wanted to fall asleep.

“Mhm. That’s what happens when someone susceptible to these kinds of environments gets drowned in too much magic. It’s overwhelming for you. I know. Dreams are strange inbetweens, aren’t they? What’s real? Damned if you know, carebear.”

Loki made a sound of agreement, as if he actually could comprehend what the Grandmaster was speaking about.

“Can we stop for a moment? Please?” he asked.

The Grandmaster simply hummed along to the tune.

“Only another minute left, Lo. Why would you want to stop now?”

“Another minute left of what?” Loki asked, finally finding the strength to pick up his head and look towards his dancing partner. Look straight into the black well of ink that had become the Grandmaster’s eyes.

“Well, until you die, of course.”

A clock chimed, blocking out the sound of all the music with a loud cling that sounded as though it had came from above, because Loki couldn’t see the source of such a sound anywhere. Bodies all around him dropped to the ground, blood pooling the floor in puddles of black as they seemingly stood on corpses. It was only then that they stopped moving, the Grandmaster holding Loki still as his eyes set on a blond with long hair, pushed back into a ponytail. A white dinner jacket prestien until a knife was pulled along the man’s throat. Blood leaked from his mouth, the jacket became soaked and red.

“Thor!” Loki cried, trying to lash out towards his brother has he crumpled to the ground, choking on his own blood, eyes staring upwards at something Loki couldn’t see. Loki felt fingers gently tuck under his own chin, forcing his gaze back up to the Grandmaster. Loki suddenly couldn’t move, no matter how hard he tried. The Grandmaster smiled at him, white fangs sharp and ready to bite.

“Oh, Lo. I’ll see you soon, won’t I?” With a laugh, the Grandmaster ripped into Loki’s neck and he screamed and screamed as the life left his pale body.

\----

Loki woke, a hand wrapped around his neck, where the blood should be gushing out. When he pulled it away to look at it, even in the dark he could tell it wasn’t stained. Yet he could still feel the phantom pain there, could still feel the grief of seeing Thor’s corpse, could still feel the weight of his body hanging like he was filled with led.

It was 12 am.

With a slow breath, Loki pulled himself out of bed and wandered into the hallway. There was a light shining from under the door at the end, his fingers hesitating on the doorknob before slowly pushing it open.

“Thor?”

His brother was busy, typing away at something on his computer, but instantly lifted his gaze at the sound of his little brother’s voice.

“Loki? You alright?”

Loki sleeping over had become at least a weekly arrangement. Really, it was unsurprising, and Thor had a nice guest bedroom anyway. Much nicer than Loki’s apartment.

“I...can vampires talk through dreams?”

Thor looked him over slowly before even thinking about answering that question. He looked pale, green eyes dulled, heart rate elevated.

“It depends. I guess so, yeah. Why, did you have a nightmare?”

Loki nodded slowly. Thor thought he looked like he was ten again.

“And it involved a vampire?”

Another faint nod.

“Usually they only talk in dreams for a purpose. To tell the dreamer something. I’m sure it used to be very helpful, but cell phones exist now. There’s not much of a reason why someone would do that.”

“Poetic reasons, maybe?” Loki stated, still hovering in the doorway, like he wanted to run away.

“What did you see, Loki?” Thor asked, turning on the other light in the corner.

“You. Getting your throat slit. The Grandmaster, making me dance and then ripping my throat out. Saying that he’ll see me soon.”

“Loki, I’m sure it was just a dream.” Thor stood, shifted over to his brother and engulfing him in a hug. Loki accepted it in silence.

Thor really hoped it was just a dream. The other option, he wasn’t able to stomach.

\----

The clock tower in the middle of the city striked 3am, witching hour, as Loki began his fast climb up the winding staircase. His mind was blank and rushing all at the same time. In some moments, all he felt was a deep panic, a sense that he will never have enough time, that he will never reach the top, that it is too late. Other moments, he felt an almost sense of peace, the lack of tension that comes with accepting that there was nothing one could do, that fate had decided the outcome and no matter how fast he sprinted, it would not change. The ebb and flow of both those feelings came and went like the tide, Loki having little choice but having to deal with them, his lungs burning. In the end, he still ran as fast as his feet could take him.

When he finally reached the top, when his legs felt as though they would collapse underneath him and that his lungs had decided to stop functioning properly, Loki moved to the figure in the middle of the room. The person he had been running to---or perhaps running from. He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember anything past the need to climb to the top of the tower. The figure, clad in a black cloak, hummed, sang. Its words low and deep, a pitch out of tune.

_“If there’s no one else to blame,_

_The clock will strike once again,_

_And leave us to our midnight thoughts,_

_Only if you wish to think them.”_

_Loki inched closer, the words making his mind feel soft, like his ears had been stuffed with cotton. Yet the singing continued._

_“Oh my darling, do you long for me near?_

_Oh my darling, has the water run clear?_

_For red stains everything it touches,_

_Just as death stains life and fear.”_

 

Look extended one arm forward, his fingers shaking as he hesitated over the deep fabric of the hood.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked.

The being did not answer, even as Loki ripped back the hood, revealing the man who was inside.

All Loki saw was the sharp teeth before he woke up.

\----

“You’re not sleeping.”

“Wow, brother, what a lovely greeting.” Loki said with a hiss, wishing to completely disregard this conversation in favour of sitting down or have more coffee. “So observant of you, always stating the bluntly obvious like a child.”

Thor didn’t respond, he could tell from Loki’s sharp tongue alone that anything that came out of his own mouth would be misconstrued and be taken in the completely wrong way. It would be wise to leave Loki alone, Thor knew from experience. But Thor never did consider himself wise in any sense of the word. Instead, he decided to poke the bear with a stick some more. Lovingly, of course.

“Are you still having nightmares?”

Loki didn’t respond. Instead he barged into Thor’s house and collapsed on his couch with crossed arms tightly drawn to his chest.

“I’m going to go talk to the Grandmaster and then I’m going to kill him,” Thor stated as he tightened his fist.

“Could you just not, for maybe a moment? Thank you for wanting to defend me, but your second death won’t exactly do much.”

“He wouldn’t kill me, he’d---”

“Decimate you to the point where there is not even ash left to call your remains? Yes, you’re correct. My bad.”

Thor rolled his eyes, his hands still in the form of fists as though he couldn’t function until he punched someone in the face. Loki found it endearing in a way, but he didn’t need his older brother fighting his battles for him. No, Loki had a better plan.

“So then, what exactly are we going to do?” Thor asked. Loki would humour him for the time being.

“Sit down and binge watch some tv.”  

Loki would do the rest on his own.

\----

“Loki, would you be a dear and drop off some books for me to a patron? He’s busy and isn’t able to send his assistant down to collect them.”

It was a wet and somber day. Loki hardly wanted to go outside. Being the only person employed under the age of fifty, he was often volunteered for things involving getting heavy books from point A to point B.

“Of course. Where am I delivering them to exactly?”

Janet, the woman who was the head librarian, seemingly already had the address scribbled down for him. Loki took it and the (surprisingly heavy) box without comment, trying to type the address into his phone while balancing it all. He was hardly surprised when he pulled up to a modern looking skyscraper, given the location. Unimpressed and hardly noticing the decor of the building, he placed the box down on the reception desk.

“I was asked to deliver these books to this address.”

His voice seemed to awaken the woman sitting at the front desk from the stupor her phone had placed her in. She looked Loki over carefully.

“Oh, perfect. We’ve been expecting you.”

“Great. Have a nice day,” and with a turn of the heel against the marble floor, Loki made his way out.

Until the receptionist called out to him.

“Wait! Would you be a doll and take them upstairs. He wants them personally delivered.”

Loki tried to hold back a groan. _Rich people_. Did these people have employees to do this for them?

“Right. What office?” He made his way back to the desk and picked up the damp box.

“Just take the elevator all the way up.”

He could feel eyes practically boring into back as he went into the lift, eyes rolling up to the ceiling until the doors were firmly shut. The elevator was silent , as if setting a scene that Loki wasn’t sure he wanted to be a part in. The doors parted to show a room full of glass, a room where accident surely were just waiting to happen. It felt cold, too modern for Loki’s tastes. Then again, Loki wasn’t there for the ugly decor. But that was all he was able to establish before he heard a vaguely familiar voice.

“ _Lo-keee_! you finally came.” The Grandmaster smiled, not getting up from his makeshift throne.

And just like that, Loki almost dropped said pile of books.

“Grandmaster? I---This was a nice little set up.”

The vampire smiled, teeth almost gleaming.

“Wasn’t it? I personally thought so. The dreams weren’t seeming to do the trick, so I just took a more direct route. Less fun, but watcha gonna do?”

Loki stepped forward, placing the books down on the desk.

“Do you even need these or did I completely waste my time?” he asked.

“No, no! I do need them. I find it easier to gather information through physical books. Call me old fashion. Would you like some tea? Coffee? I have some fabulous blueberry bread.”

Loki gave no answer, more in shock than anything.

“ Can you just--- stop it. Explain what’s going on. Why you wanted to dance, why you sent me flowers, why you keep sending me nightmares for no obvious reason but your own entertainment.”

The Grandmaster smiled, as though Loki was telling him an interesting story, there for only a casual visit. He tapped his fingers against the glass of his desk.

“ Right to the point. Nice. I like you. I like like you. I’ll be honest, my technique might be old, as I’m not good with flirting with mortals, but I am trying my best.”

“This is you flirting? The flowers were one thing, but keeping me up all hours of the night...that can kill me, you realize that, right?”

“Oh, I’d never let it get _that_ bad. I’ve kept mortals before, I know how you function. I also know that you die quicker from not eating than not sleeping, so blueberry bread!”

The Grandmaster stood, humming to himself as he went to a very nice almost mini kitchen in the far corner of the space. It was almost painfully domestic. Loki couldn’t help but feel like Thor was right and this was going to end with him dying after being force fed store bought shitty bakery goods.

“Here. Eat, eat. I’ll talk while you that. You see, Loki. I’m not a young man anymore. I look it, I know. But being an elder, which, _gods_ , do I hate that word, means I have certain responsibilities. For instance, your dear brother. I don’t hate him. I find him extremely annoying at time, but he’s a good worker, gets things done in a nice manner. That’s why I hire him to do my bidding so much. He’s also _technically_ one of mine. I mean, I didn’t turn him, but someone that I did turn turned him. Meaning, in correlation, he _is_ mine. And, in general, I care for my own. Or at least don’t kill them as long as they stay useful. But, you see, the other part of being such a big wig vampire is that I need to constantly keep new blood pumping. There’s a certain quota that needs to be met to keep us the most powerful coven instead of our dickwads of enemies. So, when I find someone I think is sexy, smart, and fits the aesthetic so well, I automatically want to take things to the next level.”

The bread in Loki’s mouth suddenly turned into a big rock.

“Next level?”

“Yes. Which would be you, being turned.”

Loki’s eyes widened. Turned. _Turned_.

“Thor and I discussed this already.”

This seemed to throw the Grandmaster off balance, which was a nice sight to see.

“Did you now?”

“Yeah. I said I’d let him turn me in a few months, maybe a year or two.”

“Ah. Well. See, my offer was to turn you myself. My other offer was also to take you on a proper date. One doesn’t really cancel out the other, by the way. I was thinking about going to the museum with all the dinosaur bones.”

“You want to turn me.”

“Yes.”

“And the dreams will stop?”

“Right now.”

“And you want to take me out to look at dead lizards.”

“They’re more related to bird actually, but yes. Duh.”

Loki sat back in the chair that he honestly couldn’t recall sitting in in the first place.

“Alright. So, I will say yes to the dinosaur date. Yes, to being able to sleep. And a ‘I need time’ on the being turned thing.”

“Fair enough. I like your spunk. Most people hardly tell me ‘maybe’. It’s a nice change of pace. I’ll pick you up at 7?”

“Don’t the museums close at 6 during the week?”

“Yes. Your point?”

Loki stood.

“Okay. Yeah. Tonight. At 7.”

The Grandmaster kissed his cheek.

Loki didn’t realize he was still holding a piece of squashed blueberry bread in his hands until he got to his car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating. I had writer's block and then IW happened. Unfortunately.


End file.
